Match-fixing in sport: scale, statistics and key actors in football, tennis and basketball

Introduction

Match-fixing is widely considered one of the most serious threats to the integrity of modern sport. The term refers to the deliberate manipulation of the course or outcome of a sporting event in order to obtain a financial gain, most often through sports betting. Football, tennis and basketball are particularly exposed due to their global popularity, the massive betting volumes they generate and the sheer number of matches played every year.

However, public perception often exaggerates the scale of the phenomenon. Thanks to technological progress and the development of sophisticated monitoring systems by specialized organizations such as Sportradar and the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), it is now possible to quantify match-fixing and understand its true prevalence.

A closely monitored phenomenon: Sportradar and IBIA figures

Reliable data helps place match-fixing into perspective.

Sportradar, a global leader in sports data and integrity services, monitors more than one million sporting events annually across over 70 sports. In 2025, the company identified 1,116 suspicious matches worldwide.

This represents an extremely small proportion. In practical terms, more than 99.5% of monitored matches showed no signs of manipulation. This equates to roughly one suspicious match out of every 700 events.

Football remains the most affected sport, with 618 suspicious matches detected in 2025, followed by basketball with 233 cases.

Meanwhile, the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), which represents over 90 betting operators and monitors more than 1.5 million events per year, reported 300 suspicious betting alerts globally in 2025.

It is important to emphasize that a suspicious alert does not necessarily mean a match was fixed. These alerts indicate unusual betting patterns that require further investigation.

Why football, tennis and basketball are most exposed

Football: the most affected sport

Football is the most popular sport in the world, with tens of thousands of professional matches played every year across multiple divisions and countries.

Lower divisions are particularly vulnerable due to:

• lower player salaries
• less media coverage
• weaker institutional oversight

These conditions can make players and officials more susceptible to corruption.

Tennis: structural vulnerability of individual sports

Tennis presents unique integrity challenges because it is an individual sport.

Key risk factors include:

• a single player can influence the outcome alone
• lower-tier tournaments offer modest prize money
• less monitoring compared to elite competitions

This makes manipulation easier compared to team sports.

Basketball: manipulation beyond winning or losing

In basketball, manipulation does not always involve losing the match.

Instead, match-fixing often involves influencing specific aspects such as:

• point spreads
• total points scored
• performance margins

This is known as “point shaving”.

A player or team may still win the match while manipulating certain statistical outcomes.

How common is match-fixing really?

Public perception often overestimates the prevalence of match-fixing.

The data clearly shows it remains statistically rare.

Summary:

• over 1,000,000 matches monitored annually
• approximately 1,100 flagged as suspicious
• less than 0.5% of total matches

This means more than 99.5% of sporting events show no integrity concerns.

Furthermore, not all suspicious matches are proven to be fixed. Some alerts are explained by legitimate betting behavior or statistical anomalies.

Match-fixing exists, but it is not widespread.

Key actors involved in detection and analysis

Official monitoring organizations

Several international bodies play a central role in protecting sports integrity:

• Sportradar
• International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA)
• sports federations
• law enforcement agencies

These organizations use advanced monitoring systems powered by data analytics and artificial intelligence.

They analyze:

• betting volumes
• odds movements
• irregular betting patterns

Their goal is to identify potential manipulation and support investigations.

Independent analysts: the example of Suspicious Game

Alongside official institutions, independent analysts have emerged to study suspicious matches.

Suspicious Game is a notable French platform specializing in the analysis of suspicious betting activity.

The platform:

• identifies matches with unusual betting patterns
• analyzes odds movements
• shares insights with a community of more than 63,000 members

It focuses on detecting anomalies in the betting markets.

However, independent platforms do not have legal or disciplinary authority.

They provide analysis, not official confirmation.

A suspicious match does not automatically mean it is fixed.

Why match-fixing still exists

The primary motivation behind match-fixing is financial profit.

Criminal networks can generate substantial earnings by exploiting betting markets.

Key risk factors include:

• low salaries in certain leagues
• financial pressure on players
• global expansion of online betting
• involvement of organized crime

Despite this, detection systems have significantly improved.

Monitoring technologies, international cooperation and stronger regulations have helped reduce risks.

Sports integrity protection is stronger today than ever before.

Conclusion

Match-fixing is a real but limited threat to modern sport.

Football, tennis and basketball remain the most exposed due to their scale and betting popularity.

However, the overwhelming majority of matches are fair and legitimate.

More than 99% of sporting events show no signs of manipulation.

Organizations such as Sportradar and IBIA play a critical role in protecting sports integrity through advanced monitoring systems.

At the same time, independent analysts like Suspicious Game contribute to awareness and understanding of betting anomalies.

Match-fixing is neither a myth nor a widespread norm.

It is a rare, closely monitored phenomenon that continues to receive serious attention from the global sports industry.